A Fascinating Look Inside Dyson's Proving Grounds, and Explanations of the Thinking Behind the Designs

The Dyson vac I use to clean up my dogs' pet fur is awesome, but one thing about it drives me nuts: It's made from polycarbonate, so during the vacuuming process the unit itself attracts, through static electricity, pet fur. This requires you to vacuum off the unit itself after you've finished vacuuming the floor, and I always asked myself why on Earth they'd selected polycarbonate.

Well, now I know: durability. The frame can withstand some serious abuse, to the tune of a 30-lb. weight being dropped on it. Being made aware of the thinking behind a particular design decision can actually change your perception of that object; while having to vacuum off a vacuum is bothersome, I'd choose minor inconvenience over short lifespan any day.

In this rare and informative look inside Dyson's R&D facility in Malmesbury, we see their machines being put through the paces—and compared side-by-side with competitors' models—while Director of Engineering Alex Knox [who we interviewed last year] walks us through specific design features. Aside from the weight-smashing test, it's neat to see exactly what the designers expect of the machine, from a user standpoint, and the specific solutions they devised to enable those things.

1 Comment

I'm sorry, I admire Dyson's innovation and engineering prowess, but I will probably never own one of their vacuums. The polycarb might be "durable", but it's also krispy and krunchy and brittle besides attracting all that dirt. Then there are all the overly complicated (and delicate) buttons, levers & attachments just waiting to snap a week or so after the warranty expires. And aren't they just a little... Flamboyant? If they were willing to ask some serious usability questions and do some real HF overhauling rather than just over engineering everything they might have a sale, but until then... I don't do that much vacuuming anyway.

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